Stacking printed products



Jan. 19, 1965 c. H. POR'TER ETAL smcxmc PRINTED PRODUCTS 3 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed July 24, 1962 INVENTOR. CLIVE H. PORTER JOHN J- M6 DONALD BYRICHARD C.WOESSNER Jan. 19, 1965 c. H. PORTER ETAL 3,166,206

'smcxmc PRINTED PRODUCTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 24, 1962 INVENTOR.CLIVE H. PORTER JOHN J. MQDONALD RICHARD O. WOESSNER ATTORNEY Jan. 19,-1965 Filed July 24, 1962 ELFT dim M C. H. PORTER ETAL STACKING PRINTEDPRODUCTS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 g//Ba.

INVENTOR. CLIV E H. PORTER JOH DONALD RIG R WOESSNER ATTORNEYS UniteclStates Patent v 3,166,206 STACKING PRINTED PRODUCTS Clive H. Porter,Park Ridge, John J. McDonald, East Paterson, and, Richard C. Woessner,Fair Lawn, N.J., assignors to R. Hoe & Co., Inc, New York, N.Y., a cor-'poration of New York Filed July 24, 1962, Ser. No. 212,108 3 Claims.(Cl. 214-152) The present invention relates to the stacking of printedproducts.

. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the stacking ofprinted products inbatches, the fold lines and cut edges of successivebatches being reversed, so that the number of batches is immediatelyevident upon inspection of a stack and the stack is of the same heighton all sides.

It is known prior practice in stacking printed products to turnalternate batches over, reversing the position of the transverse foldline and opposite cut edge, but this leaves any longitudinal fold linesin superposition along the same edge of the stack and, hence, is not anentirely satisfactory method.

It is also known practice to stack the batches in the same order inwhich produced, turning alternate batches in their own planes through180 or one-half turn. This produces a satisfactory stack but isditficult to practice at high speeds. The difliculty involved will beevident by considering the requirements, of a typical high speedprinting operation, which may result in the production of up to 72,000products per hour. If these products are divided into batches of ten(straight run, corresponding to five in 'a batch for a collect run), itis apparent that batches are produced and must be stacked at the rate of7200 perhour or one batch per half-second. The turning of alternatebatches through 180 in their own planes in this short space of timeinvolves inertial effects which make such a method of stacking extremelydifficult if not impossible, at speeds approaching the value mentioned.In any event, the various elements which cooperate in stacking theproducts are synchronized closely with each'other, the speed at whicheach operation is performed being proportioned to the speed at which thecopies are being produced,. and it is found. that stacking in thismanner involves more or less unpredictable difficulties connected withthe speed of the operation as a whole, so that it is not uncommon forastacker which operates satisfactorily at a given high speed to operateunsatisfactorily at a somewhat lower speed.

It is also possible to produce a satisfactory stack by rotating thepartiallyformed stack through a half turn as alternate batches aredeposited. This, however, involves a rapid turning of a mass ofconsiderable inertia, the inertia being variable according to the sizeof the stack. i

It will be evident that the diiiiculties involved in the previousmethods of stacking are such as to place severe limitations on thespeedof. operation. As the batches handled become large, more time isavailable for han-,

dling each batch, but the inertia correspondingly increases, as also thedifficulty in maintaining vertical alignment of the products inthebatch. In a limiting, but actual case, the stack may be composed of onlytwo batches, each containing, say, as many as twenty-five or fiftyproducts. In this case, however, in addition to the difficultiesinvolved due tofinertia efiects, the stack is composed of twowedge-shaped batchesQthe dividing line between batches being apronouncedly slanted plane, so that the stack itself lacksstability.With previous methods, the avoidance of such effects through handling3,166,266 Patented Jan. 19, 1965 ice turning movement decreases as thesize of batch is decreased.

Previous stacking methods also present difficulty in permittingsatisfactory inspection at high'speeds. The removal and simultaneousreplacement of the copy as hitherto practiced by the pressman is notsatisfactory at high speeds so that the preservation of the countrequires the removal and replacement of a complete batch. In doing this,it is desirable that the batch be comparatively'small, but thedifficulties above mentioned practically necessitate the handling of aslarge batches as possible, where previous stacking methods are used.

It is the general-object of the invention to provide an improved methodand apparatus for stacking products in batches with alternate batchesturned in their own planes through a half turn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method which permits theinspection of copies by diverting and replacing a batch of copies,thereby eliminating the difficulty of removing copies from a fast movingstream and also eliminating any interference with accurate count. 7

Another object is to provide a stacking method in which the essentialmovements of the products may be accomplished at a uniform high speedwhich is independent of the speed of production of copies, thuseliminating difliculty due to variation in operation with the speed ofmovement of the elements involved.

A further object is to provide a method in which the indexing movementsof the stacking operation orsteps may proceed at a slower rate, as, forexample, one-half the rate of the batch production.

A method and .apparatus'forpracticing the invention steps involved informing a stack according to the method of the invention.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is' indicated therein a streamof products P advancing on tapes 10, the

small batches decreases the time available for handling" each batchunduly and also rules out the turning of the products being retarded intheir movement by stop elements 11, which are moved along by a conveyorchainarrangement 12 at a somewhat slower speed than the tapeslt] so asto separate the products into batches B,

as indicated. Past the patch forming point is a switch 13 comprising twogroups of belt arms 13a and 1311, respectively, which in their solidline positions directthe batch to tapes14 delivering to a temporaryreceiver 16 t and in their dotted line positions. permit tapes 10 todeliver a patch to another temporary receiver 15. =Thetwo belt arms 13aand.13b are moved up and down, corresponding to the directing of thebatches to the temporary receivers 15 and 16, respectively, by leverarms 51 and.

52, respectively. The lever arm movements are controlled-by a cam 53which is designed for a full cycle of two successivebatches and which,is directly driven at a ratio of l':4 by gears 55 and 56 by the uppersprocket shaft54 of the conveyor chain 12. a 5

A linkage, composed of a rod 57, a connec'ting'linlc 58, a lever 59, rodotl a nd crank 61 is arranged for moving the slanting bottoms 18, 18 ofthe temporary receivers 1S and 16 back and forth. The crank 61 is drivenby i a gear motor 62.

The receivers 15 and 16 may be of identical construction, enibodying ineach case walls 17 for guiding the batches and a slanting bottom 18, 13for temporarily sup- I porting and then releasing (broken line position)the batches. Below-the temporary receivers and 16 is positione'darotatable'carrier, denoted by'the 'general numeral hequippedWith'four'temporary receiver's or pockets 2%, 21, 22, 23,, spaced atequal (90) intervalsaround the carrier, the diametrally opposite pocketsbeing spaced apart by the same distance as the temporary receivers 15,.

16 andbeing adapted to recei'vebat'ches dropped therefrom. a

"The 'pock'ets2023 fare of similar constructi'on, each having sideguiding'walls 24' for'keeping. a ,batchof prodacts in"vertical'alignment and floor elements'ZS for temporarily "Supporting a batch (fulllineiposition) and then dropping'thesame (dotted lineposition). Belowtemporary receiver '16 and below whichever of the pockets -23 may beinposition underneath it, is a stack receiver 2'6"ha'vingside guide walls2'7 and movable bottom elements "2 8 fortemporarily supporting (fullline position) andthen dropping (dotted line position) itsstack ofbatchesont'o subjacent delivery tapes 2? or into anyfurther tie ingorwrapping'"apparatuswith which the stacker may be associated. V I

The n ovelfrnethod of the invention and the manner in whichit is carriedout by the indicated apparatus will be clear from the progressive.diagrams contained in FIGS. 39,-inclusive. c V

Switch 13 is'synchr'onized'withtheproduction of products? and batches B,as, for example, by synchronizing in the usualmanner with thetap'esilti, directing successive batches alternately to-the temporaryreceivers i5 and 16 as above' men tioned. The indexing table makes onemove ment (90) for each pair of batches B which is pro- 1 'duced."The'p'ocketsN ZB areclosed at" all times except when -a pocketis overthe acer/ ras, in which location the fioor elements of pockets 20-23 aredropped, being I returned to upper or batchsupporting position by thecam during *120" or so (if-movement; The receivers 15, 16

.. discharge products shortly' after the indexing movement is completed.I

For purposes of describing the operation below, the" successive batchesB are identified as A1, B ;'A B A "1% until upon a timed impulse themovable bottom elements 28 are opened sothat the stack may drop onto thesubjacent delivery tapes 29 for further handling.

As it is shown in FIG. 9, the final stack is composed of batches whichare laid in the desired manner, so that the folded edges of: thenewspapers or the like folded signalocated abovethe receiverlle, may beutilized for so filling the receiver la.

As is evident, the mechanism supplying products to the;

tapes 1'8 will ordinarily operate at a substantially fixed rate so thatbatchesare formed and forwarded with a definite'time interval' betweenthem, which time interval t may be of the order of one-half second..With conventional methods of stacking batches in the same order .as

produced, it is apparent that where alternatebatches arereorientat'ed'througha half turn, the time available for doing thiscannot materially exceed the time interval '1 (say, one-half second).Inthe method of-the present invention, it will be noted that since thefirst (reorient'ated) batch A is followed in the final stack not bybatch B but'bybatch B the ti-me'for reorientating it is tripled (31).Similar considerations apply .toany later pair of batches. For example,batch A (-reorientated) is imme- B fetc. in order ofproduction, thebatchesBp'B B etc.

being those placed-on the stack without-turning and the batches "A iA pAetc.,"being those which are turned.

through a half turn (in two steps) before placement in the stack.'Batches A and'B or A and B etc., are pairs of batches whoseproductiontime (for the pair) corresponds I to one indexing movement ofthe turntable. At the start of a stacking operation, the first batch Ais deliveredto temporary receiver 15 (FIG. 3). The next following whichare '-normally'in theinac tive, dotted line position (FIG. 1) during thetime the stacker is working, but are lowered to the full line positionfor detouring the batch B1. i "While 'the'followingbatch 3;, now ismoving along on belts 14 toward the temporary receiver16, the next batchA is-approachingthe temporary receiver 15, directed by vthe'cam-controlled movement of theswitching. belt arms 13a and 13b,respectively '(FIG. 4). The bottoms l8 and 18 have been moved inorder tolet batch A drop into the pocket 20. When the bottoms 18,18 arereturned, the rotatable carrier 40 with its pockets 2t), 21,22, 23 iscounter clockwise rotated through 90 '(FIG. 5), so that pockets 21 and23 now are positioned underneath the temporary rec'eiversilS and 16,respectively. Batches A and Bg drop simultaneously into pockets Ziand23, but

since the floorelements 25 of pocket 23 in the discharging positionabovestack receiver 26 are open,lbatch B drops through into said'stackreceiver 26 With the rotatable carrierf40 now indexing, as describedabove,the bottoms 18, 18 reciprocating, the successively arriving pairsA 3 A43 will drop into the temporary receivers 15, 16; eventually astaclr of apredetermined height will be formed,

. prises forrriing'a moving stream-of overlapped-{products- .anism.

diately followed by batch-B ,.giving the same increase of timefforreorientatin'g the batch. 'It will also be noted that the carrier inwhich diametrally opposite pockets are active ateach step does notrequire an indexing movement for each batchof products produced," butonly for each pair of such products. The carrier,-therefore, may have anop'erating cycle(operiing and closingof receiver and pocket bottoms)related to the timeinterval 21, the added time tbeing available'for theindexing movement of thecarrier. In adapting the operation to productionat different rates, thernove'ment of all parts associated with thecarrier in indexed position is at a fixed ratecorrespending to thehighest designedspeed of production and onlyithe time of initiation of.an indexingmovement is synchronized to the production-of copies. Thiseliminates all difiiculty due to variation. inspeed. ofthe mech- Aswillbe evident, since'the indexing movement' occurs g -only for each pair ofbatches produced, atotal time interbatch B is detoured to interceptingconveyor belts 3t 'upfthenecessary half'turn. JlThis contrastsverysharply with priorart methodsusing .consecutive stacking and inwhichthe'time available for accomplishing the necessary operation,including-the half "turn, is only. the interval '2 corresponding totheitim'e ofiproduction'ofa batch. ,Wha-tis'claimedis: i 1

1. .Method of stacking printed products which comseparatingithesaidstream into :a succession'of batches,

directing alternate batches of the-said succession to a stack'by onepath and the remainingbatchesto the-same stackby a second path, turningbatchesin-the second path in their own planes successively through twoquarter turns while delivering two batches' fromthe-first saidpath alongWithinterspersedprecedingbatchesfrom the second path to the stack andthen delivering batches-from the second said path to the stackinalternationwith those of the-first said path, whereby thebatches'fromzthe" second said-path are retarded in thestackhyjrelationto their position inlthe saidsuccession of?batches,zeach such batchfromthe second path now following the batch which followed it in the saidsuccession.

2. Method according to claim 1, which comprises maintaining areplacement batch of products in readiness for from the first'saidlocation in that path while a batch is delivered from the'said locationin the first said path to the stack and the second path comprising alsotwo further successive locations, in which the batches are turnedsucinsertion in the first said path, removing a batch from the 5cessively through two right angles in their own plane.

first said path for inspection and substituting the said replacementbatch therefor to maintain the count.

3. Method according to claim 1, in which the first and second paths eachcomprise a location to which batches are delivered substantiallysimultaneously, the second path 10 2,697,388

comprises a second location to which a batch is delivered ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Hansen et al Dec.21, 1954

1. METHOD OF STACKING PRINTED PRODUCTS WHICH COMPRISES FORMING A MOVINGSTREAM OF OVERLAPPING PRODUCTS, SEPARATING THE SAID STREAM INTO ASUCCESSION OF BATCHES, DIRECTING ALTERNATE BATCHES OF THE SAIDSUCCESSION TO A STACK BY ONE PATH AND THE REMAINING BATCHES TO THE SAMESTACK BY A SECOND PATH, TURNING BATCHES IN THE SECOND PATH IN THEIR OWNPLANES SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH TWO QUARTER TURNS WHILE DELIVERING TWOBATCHES FROM THE FIRST SAID PATH ALONG WITH INTERSPERSED PRECEDINGBATCHES FROM THE SECOND PATH OF THE STACK AND THEN DELIVERING BATCHESFROM THE SECOND SAID PATH TO THE STACK IN ALTERNATION WITH THOSE OF THEFIRST SAID PATH, WHEREBY THE BATCHES FROM THE SECOND SAID PATH ARERETARDED IN THE STACK BY RELATION TO THEIR POSITION IN THE SAIDSUCCESSION OF BATCHES, EACH SUCH BATCH FROM THE SECOND PATH NOWFOLLOWING THE BATCH WHICH FOLLOWED IT IN THE SAID SUCCESSION.